PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Census may still be another year away, but there are jobs available now.

 

U.S. Census Bureau media specialist Keith Goralski said the bureau is already hiring people for address canvassing this year. The job asks people to confirm addresses of homes, looking for newly built homes and identify homes that may no longer exist. The goal is to get an accurate list of the addresses when the Census process rolls out in 2020.

 

"We are basically telling everyone that there are opportunities now because there are," Goralski said.

 

The bureau will be hiring throughout the country for part-time and full-time positions from now through 2020. The bulk of the work will be done in mid- to late 2020 by enumerators who will be tasked with conducting the Census door to door of those who hadn't filed online.

 

"There are part-time positions that can be done on any day and any time and these positions pay very well," Goralski said.

 

According to the Census website, these positions will be paying $18 an hour in Berkshire County. The exact number of employees needed is an ongoing process depending on the need and Goralski said new jobs are added on a daily basis. He said in 2010, 500,000 people were hired as enumerators across the country and he expects a similar amount now.

 

While there are canvassing opportunities now, it will only be a percentage of how many will be available in 2020. However, Goralski said any application filed even now stays on file and potential workers will be contacted when jobs open.

 

"Once you fill that out, it stays on file," Goralski said. "When I say on file, it will constantly be looked at."

 

For the canvassing and enumerating, the Census is particularly looking for people who live in the neighborhood to do the work.

 

"People are hired close to home because those are the neighborhoods they know," Goralski said.

 

The only minimum qualification is that the candidate is 18 years old or older. Those who want to apply can do so at the Census's website here.

 

The Census will also be looking for another sector of employment: clerical and managerial work. Those will be both full- and part-time posts across Massachusetts. Those are slightly different, Goralski said, and are found through USAJobs.gov. Those jobs are more specific in nature and the person becomes an employee of the U.S. Census Bureau. 

 

Goralski said there are constantly new jobs being added as the bureau ramps up for the Census.

 

"We are trying to get the biggest and most diverse pool of candidates," he said.

 

The Census is a count done every 10 years to determine the exact number of people living in the United States. The count becomes the basis for not only government representation but also as the basis for a number of grant, federal, and state programs. It also provides thousands of people with a way to make some extra cash on the side.